


Becoming the Third Seasonal

by Skys_the_limit_1324



Series: Seasons May Change [1]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Jack being Jack, Seasonal Spirits and Guardians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24777193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skys_the_limit_1324/pseuds/Skys_the_limit_1324
Summary: What if Jack wasn't entirely alone for those 300 years? Three months after he came out of his lake, Jack decided to head to the southern hemisphere. There, he meets the spirit of Autumn, Willow. This leads to Jack learning about being a spirit and joining the Seasonal spirits of Mother Nature.
Series: Seasons May Change [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1792021
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. Never Throw a Snowball at the Spirit of Autumn

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story in my series of one-shots and arcs. Disclaimer, I do not own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any of the characters that belong to those series. My OCs are my property.

Willow Ember. That was the name of the spirit who helps bring autumn. She had been around for about 4 years now, this being the seventh autumn that Mother Nature has asked her to help with. By appearance, Willow looks like a 17 year old girl.

She had long, straight, black hair that went a couple inches past her shoulder. On her face, she wore a wooden mask that covered the top half of her face besides her amber eyes. The mask itself looked burnt and quite old. She wore a dark brown cloak, a white blouse, black pants and no shoes.

She was now starting the spread of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Willow thought it was going to be the same as last time; going about with making leaves change colors and making sure that the animals can prepare for winter. Willow can handle the cool autumn days, but she hated being cold. It's not exactly the temperature itself that's the problem for her as much as it reminds her a lot about...

 _Come on Willow stop thinking about it_ She thought to herself. _It's all in the past._

Suddenly, she felt something cold and wet hit her in the back of her neck. Of course, it slid down the back of her shirt, which made it hard for her to shake it out. When it finally melted, she was gasping and shivering out of fear and simply from being cold.

However her fear soon became anger as she heard someone laughing from behind her. Was this someone's idea for a practical joke? Whoever it was, she didn't like them laughing at her.

She quickly turned around, used the wind to charge over to whoever was laughing, grabbed them by the collar of their shirt and said "that wasn't funny." When she calmed herself down enough, she realized that the person, who was a teenage boy, seemed scared of her. So she let go of his collar.

He appeared to be a 14 year old boy. He had blue eyes and white hair (which she thought was quite odd for the year of 1713). He wore mostly brown clothes with a cloak that was covered by frost around the collar.

"Your able to see me?" The strange boy asked. "I thought it was just the Moon that could see and hear me."

 _Let's see_ Willow thought to herself. _Unnatural hair color, surprised that I can see him and he knows of the Man in the Moon. Definitely a new spirit._

"I take it you're a new spirit" Willow said.

"Is that the term for it?" He asked. "Well yeah I only came out of a frozen pond a few months ago. My name's Jack Frost by the way."

"uh huh" Willow said. "Well Frost you got to understand a few things. First off, with your previous comment of me being able to see you, the only way you can be seen is if someone believes in you, or if you run into another spirit like myself."

"Okay" Jack said, being grateful for an explanation.

"Second, you're Winter based powers, really should only be used in Winter or in areas that are covered in snow almost all the time" Willow continued. "Autumn has just barely begun here in the southern hemisphere, and you're throwing snowballs around like it's no ones business. Let me guess, you haven't even met with Mother Nature."

"Who?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raised.

Willow simply faced palmed. _How ignorant can this boy get?!_ She thought to herself. "Well I guess that's the first thing we ought to do" She said. "Mother Nature would want to know about you."

"And why exactly should I listen to you?" Jack asked. "One, I only just met you, two, You haven't told me your name, and three, usually people who hide their face don't have the greatest intentions."

 _So he isn't completely ignorant._ Willow thought to herself. "Very well then" she said. "If I show you my face and tell you my name, then will you come with me to visit Mother Nature?"

Jack nods at her. Willow sighed as she reached her hands behind her head. She grabbed the ribbon that she used to keep the mask on her face. She pulled both ends of the black ribbon and pulled the mask away from her face.

Part of her long black hair fell in front of the left side of her face. Without the mask, she looked like she came from somewhere in eastern Asia, even though her clothes looked more European. Before long, she pulled her mask back on when she was certain she gave Jack a good look at her face.

"Better?" She asked as Jack nodded. "The name's Willow Ember by the way. Now that I kept up my end of our deal, are you going to keep yours?"

"Well a deal's a deal" Jack said. "Just let me get my staff."

Once Jack picked up his staff, Willow Started to walk to a clearing. "Are you able to ride with the wind?" Willow asked Jack.

"I'm still getting the hang of it, but yeah" He answered.

"Well it's a long ways to where we're heading" Willow said. "You might as well use the chance to practice."

With that, the two spirits used the wind to fly to Mother Nature. Willow wasn't quite sure how to react to the younger spirit. She had mixed feelings about him, but most of it was anger for him hitting her with a snowball.


	2. Meeting with Mother Nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's first time meeting Mother Nature, and another spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll do my best to update the series every Wednesday, though I think I'll change that to Wednesdays and Saturdays. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please, no flamers. Without further ado, onto the story.

Within the Amazon rainforest, Ray Nimbus was Talking with Mother Nature. Ray looked to be 20 years old, though he’s been around far longer then most kingdoms and empires. He had the impression that he came from the middle east with his tan skin and dark hair. His eyes were the color of a raging storm. He wore pants and an almost sleeveless shirt which were both gray. In his hands was a lance that was a burnished gold with a blackened tip.

As for Mother Nature, she had long, wavy, black hair, and dark, piercing, green eyes. She wore a long green dress that almost appeared to be made of plants. She was tending to one of the tree while she and Ray began talking to each other.

"What have you called me for?" Ray asked Mother Nature.

"A few months ago Tsar Lunar has chosen another spirit" She said. "From what he explained, he is one with powers of ice and snow. I was wondering if you could go and find him and bring him here so I can meet him and make sure he understands his role in the balance."

"This is a bit surprising" Ray said. "I wasn’t expecting the man in the moon to make a seasonal spirit. After all, Willow only became a seasonal herself a couple years back."

Mother Nature of course was aware of both of these facts. She had discussed the matter with Mim previously and allowed him some of her powers (after a lot of debate on the matter) to make a new spirit. Though, she rather keep this information to herself, considering what Mim said this spirit would become.

"I know, but Tsar Lunar always has a reason for choosing someone" Mother Nature said. "Do you understand?"

Ray nods. He was about to turn and leave when he noticed Willow flying in with someone else. "It seems that Willow has beaten me to him."

When Willow and Jack had landed, Jack couldn't help but look at his surroundings in amazement. He never seen so many different kinds of plants in one place before. On the ground were small streams of water, yet they didn’t appear to affect the ground at all. When Willow noticed that Jack was distracted, she rolled her eyes and tapped him on the shoulder so he'll realize that he needed to focus a bit. Jack was upset and was about to ask why she tapped him until he realized that they had company.

"Oh uh, hi" Jack said sheepishly To Mother Nature and Ray.

"Hello" Mother Nature said. "So how did you come across him Willow?"

"It's more like he found me" Willow said. "There's a lot he doesn’t know about. I know you have a lot to do as well with keeping spring going smoothly, but I think it would be better for someone with a better understanding of our world to teach him.” _Plus I would rather continue spreading my season in peace._ Willow thought.

“Very well” Mother Nature said. “You are free to go Willow”

Willow nodded before turning to leave. She gave an angry stare at Jack before taking off with the wind. Jack stared off towards Willow, wandering how she seemed to hate him without even knowing him.

"Don't take it personally" Ray said from behind Jack. "She's like that a lot. Honestly if you ask me, I find it a bit immature; but she’s still fairly young like yourself. Though what did you do to get her that mad at you?"

Jack turned to face Ray as he scratch the back of his head. "Well I did throw a snowball at the back of her neck and laughed at how ridiculous she looked when she was trying to get it out of her shirt" he admitted.

Ray shook his head in disbelief. "That explains it" Ray said. "I would highly suggest not doing that again."

Jack nods and turns to Mother Nature. "If I got it right, you must be Mother Nature" Jack said.

"Indeed, and who exactly are you?" She asked Jack.

"My name is Jack Frost" He said. "Though that's all the moon said."

Mother Nature placed a hand on her chin as she thought over what Jack had just said. _That's unusual for Tsar Lunar_ She thought to herself. _I wasn’t expecting him to wipe this boy's memories. Perhaps something else was involved._

"I guess that will make both you and Willow quite the Enigma" Ray said. "The only thing that she would tell us about her past is that she rather not talk about it."

"Well at least she has one" Jack mumbled.

"Willow may have a short temper sometimes, but her powers help out quite a bit with keeping Autumn moving smoothly" Mother Nature said. "Although I have more than enough powers to handle all of it by myself, the balance takes a lot to keep in order."

"I don't quite understand it" Jack said. "What do you mean by the balance?"

Ray turned to Mother Nature. "Do you want me to handle this?" He asked.

"If you would please" Mother Nature said.

Ray nods and turns to Jack. "Well let's get to it" He said. "We better head somewhere else, we don't need to be disrupting any more work here."

Jack walked with Ray when he realized something. "I haven't exactly gotten your name" He said to Ray.

"It's Ray Nimbus, but you can just call me Ray" He said as they took to the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More back ground on how Ray and Willow became seasonals will come later on. See on Saturday.


	3. Spirits 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seasonals and other spirits 101.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially doing Saturdays and Wednesdays now in regards to updates because I have a lot of ready material and I'm not patient enough to wait a whole week to update. Once I get caught up, I'll return to a weekly update. Either way, onto the story.

Ray and Jack flew towards some Mountains within South America. Ray explained that it would be a good place to discuss; though Ray also hoped to help Jack practice as well. Ray thought a mountain would be the best place to practice because, if Jack's powers go out of hand, there's not a lot that can be damaged.

"Alright" Ray said as they landed on the mountain. "How much do you know in regards to the rest of the spirits?"

"Very little" Jack said. "Willow was the first one I met in person."

"Well, I’ll start with the seasonal spirits” Ray said. “First, I would like to know how much you know in regards to the seasons themselves.”

“Well from what I've learned, there’s four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter” Jack said. “They’re in an ever continuing cycle like day turning to night.”

“Yep, and while it’s one season in the northern hemisphere, it’s the opposite season in the southern hemisphere” Ray said. “Mother Nature makes sure that this runs smoothly and is ‘balanced’. If there was too much summer, the world would be dry and things are more likely to catch fire and be destroyed. If there wasn’t enough winter, the world would not be able to rest before beginning life anew in spring. Does that make sense?”

“yeah” Jack said. “So how do you and Willow help out with that?”

“Just like how your powers are based in winter, mine are based in summer and Willow’s are based in autumn. We help out Mother Nature in our respective seasons. To most spirits, were known as the seasonals.”

“So if I were to join, I would become a seasonal and help out winter” Jack said.

"That would be the case" Ray said. "It's not a sign your life away kind of thing. All that is asked is that you don't spread winter when it's not time for it and that when Mother Nature summons you, you would come and meet. That in of itself is not something you should worry about unless you've done something against the balance of things, or if an emergency has occurred. 

At the same time, if you do join, it also promises that if you find yourself in trouble, we got your back. Many spirits know not to mess with Mother Nature, so me and Willow aren’t really bothered by anyone. Does that make sense.”

“yeah, so what are some of the other groups?” Jack asked.

“There are a lot of different groups among spirits” Ray said. “There are some that have a holiday like Patrick the leprechaun. There’s the three soul gathers, though I don’t know that much in regards to what they do. There’s also a new but powerful group known as the Guardians of Childhood; who protect the children of the world from the likes of Pitch Black.”

“Who’s Pitch” Jack asked. 

“Well at the moment, he’s of no threat, though over a year ago he nearly brought the world into another dark age. Some know him as either the nightmare king or the boogieman.” 

Jack tried to hide it, but he started laughing at the ridiculous nickname. Ray simply smiled at Jack, realizing how much of a child Jack was. Still he continued with the conversation.

“Pitch is only one of the spirits that, if you are unprepared, could decide to attack you. As I said earlier ‘Many spirits know not to mess with Mother Nature' but that doesn’t mean absolute protection from those that don’t. If don’t want to get in unnecessary trouble, you better learn how to watch your back.”

Jack chuckled before saying “I'm sure I can handle myself.”

“If you’re that certain then you should be more than capable of taking my lance” Ray said.

Without saying a word, Jack used the wind to propel himself forward. He grabbed Ray’s lance and tried to pull it out of the older spirit’s grip. Ray simply swung his lance, and Jack, to the snowy ground. Jack let go of the lance and tried to get up. Before he could even raise his back, Ray had already pointed his lance right at Jack’s throat.

“Encounters like this won’t always be this friendly” Ray said before removing his staff and pulling Jack back to his feet.

“I guess I got a lot to learn” Jack said.

"Good, now that we have the talking out of the way, we can get on with some training" Ray said.

“Wait, training?” Jack asked.

Ray simply gave a small laugh. “If I was able to pin you in less then a minute, then you have a lot you need to practice on. Trust me, you’ll thank me for this one day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to guess who the the three soul gathers are. I will go into more details about them in another story. See you all next Wednesday.


	4. Winter vs. Summer (or Magic Self Defense, 101)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray teaches Jack about his powers and some basic ways to use them in combat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's be honest, there's a good chance that Jack would wind up in trouble some how. Ray, acting as the big brother of the seasonals, would make it his responsibility to make sure Jack can at least get out of trouble. Onto the chapter!

Jack and Ray walked back ten steps from each other and turned around so they faced one another. "So Jack, I take it your staff is your conduit" Ray said.

"My what?" Jack asked, not knowing what a conduit is.

"Essentially the thing that increases what you can do with your magic" Ray said. He held his lance out in front of him. "Mine, for instance, is this."

Jack lets out a whistle. "So what are you able to do?" Jack asked. "I know that I have ice and frost, what about you and Willow?"

"Well for me, my power is control over lightning and thunderstorms" Ray said as Jack nods. "As for Willow, her power is fire. For your sake, don't make her angry."

"Okay" Jack said. "What's her conduit?"

"To be honest I'm not sure" Ray said. "I guess it's her mask since she never goes anywhere without it. As I said before, She's quite the enigma.”

“Speaking of an ‘enigma’” Jack said with air quotation marks “Why isn’t fire associated with summer since both are hot?”

“Well for one, lightning is way hotter then fire” Ray said. “Thunderstorms are also common during summer in a lot of places around the world. Also, in Autumn there are dry leaves and fire can make things dry.”

“I guess that works” Jack said while still processing it. “Is there a spring spirit?”

“As far as I'm aware of, no” Ray said. "Though let's get back on topic. Another thing you should know is riding with the wind. Wind is actually four different spirits. By the looks of it, you seem to have the North Wind helping you out.”

The North Wind playfully blew around Jack’s head, which made him laugh a bit.

"The ability to ride the wind comes from your conduit as well. You best keep it with at all times.” Ray continued.

"So what are we going to work on?" Jack asked.

“The first thing we’ll work on is some basic self defense with your magic” Ray said. “Your powers seem well suited for both attack and defense if you use them right. Defense wise, you can easily make a barrier out of ice to block a lot of attacks.”

Jack nodded along before asking “What if I can’t make a barrier?”

“At that point you can either take a few hits, or dodge until you can use your powers” Ray said. “Since you have a more nimble body, I would suggest the second option for you. Always play to your own strength.”

Ray pulled out his lance as Jack starts worry a bit. How was he suppose to dodge lightning after all.

"Let's start out simple" Ray said. "I won't be using my lightning” Jack sighed in relief. “but I'll still have help from the South wind. You have permission to use your powers, but I want you to mainly focus on defense, got it?"

Jack nods. “So how long shall we do this?” he asked.

“Until either of us becomes exhausted" Ray said. “So let's see what you can do Jack."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their sparring match ended up lasting from about 7 hours. This was only possible because they’re spirits. Otherwise they most likely would have either passed out or died from over exhaustion.

Ray had to admit that Jack was quite the fast learner. The first hour, Ray could easily knock Jack around and land a few hits. After each hit, Ray would to give Jack some pointers before they got back to training. Jack got better and better with each hour. Though Ray had centuries worth of experience, he started to struggle a little. 

Near the end, when the sun was past the horizon, Ray was caught off guard when Jack threw a Snowball at his face. By the time he wiped the snow away, Jack had pointed his staff at Ray's face.

“Cleaver” Ray said once Jack lowered his staff. “you okay there Jack?" Ray asked when he noticed Jack panting.

"Just…tired” Jack answered between breaths.

"Well it's not too surprising" Ray said. "After all, we did spar for about seven hours straight. You should rest. Sleep can help you regain energy. As for your injuries, you best lay in the snow since it will it help kick in your self healing powers."

"Well that’s nice to know, but are we going to this all the time?" Jack asked.

Ray sighed. "It would be best to keep working on this often, but that’s enough for now.”

“phew” Jack said as he laid himself in the snow. “If you don’t mind me I think I'll just take a quick nap here.”

“Do you want me to give you some privacy?” Ray asked.

“I don’t mind” Jack said. “It’s nice having some company for once.”

Ray gave a small smile before nodding to Jack. In less time than it would take to make a snowball, Jack fell asleep with a smile on his face. Ray continued to smile as well before taking a seat nearby to keep watch as Jack slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lightning can make the air around it reach around 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. And yes, as Ray said, there is, for the time being, no spirit of spring. Some people would consider Bunny to be the spring spirit, but in this series, he's not. Afterall, by the way Bunny talked of Mother Nature in the Guardians of Childhood series, it sounded like he only _knew_ of her. That's my reasoning for it. 
> 
> Not even Ray knows his exact age. The reason will be explained later. I can tell you that he's older then Tooth by over a century. Please leave some feedback and I'll see you next time.


	5. Jack Frost, the Seasonal of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After about three months, it's time for Jack to become an official seasonal spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit late. We're at the end is the first part of my series, Seasons May Change. This series will mainly focus on these three characters (mostly Jack) with a couple joining later on. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Over the course of three months, Ray had taught Jack the ins and outs of the spirit world. They sparred when able, but they sometimes had to head to either the equator, so Ray could control some thunderstorms, or to one of the poles, so Jack could deliver snow. This allowed Jack a chance to see the world and know his way around.

Ray and Jack also got the chance to show each other where they lived. Ray got to show Jack the mountains he usually goes to which are in modern day Turkey. Jack also got to show Ray the lake he came out of, though, Ray thought it was more of a pond.

While the boys were doing a bit more exploring, Willow was visiting Mother Nature. Autumn was almost over, but it was surprising for her to be called when it was still her season. Regardless, she came when summoned.

“Is something wrong?” Willow asked.

“I just wanted to see how you've been handling” Mother Nature said.

Willow was used to this seemingly semi annual check up. Even though she was the only one who had it, she found it reasonable. This was mostly in consideration on how Mother Nature found her.

Willow was in a twenty foot diameter circle of flames. She had a large cut across her chest and was barely breathing when Mother Nature had arrived. She had a belief in magic and spirit, mostly since she had a little magic with her (what in modern day would be called pyro telekinesis), so she was able to see Mother Nature.

Mother Nature explained that in the condition she was in, Willow would not be able to live. Willow asked for another way, being willing to offer anything. Mother Nature had offered her spirithood if she promised to help Mother Nature. Willow accepted, and became the autumn spirit.

It did take time for her wounds to heal, but now they were nothing but scars. She was starting to think that it was unnecessary for Mother Nature to continue to worry for her.

“I’ve been doing well” Willow said. “I haven’t gotten anymore wounds, and my past ones haven’t been causing me any problems.”

“I know” Mother Nature said. “I was referring to how you were handling emotionally.”

“I've been feeling better” Willow lied. 

She wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Mother Nature of her struggle to do so. She felt that she should handle it without help, or else have other spirits see her as weak and an easy target. It was difficult, but she wasn’t one to play the damsel in distress.

“If you say so” Mother Nature said. “Just so you know, I plan on having Jack Frost, you, and Ray come here at the solstice. Then, We’ll see if Jack chooses to become a seasonal.”

“Well I guess I better apologize for over reacting” Willow said. “If we’re going to work together, I rather get that off my chest."

Mother Nature sighed before nodding. “If you want, you are free to go” she said to Willow.

Willow nodded before flying off to return to her season.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the day of the solitice, Jack, Willow and Ray all made their way to Mother Nature’s Empire. Ray and Jack arrived together since they had been discussing before the winds started acting strange. Ray explained that simply meant that Mother Nature wanted to see them. Willow had arrived not long after.

“Hey Willow” Jack said. “Finished up with autumn?”

“Yes, though besides our previous run in, it’s been pretty uneventful” Willow said. “Sorry for over reacting about the snowball.”

“Yeah, well I shouldn’t haven’t laughed at you” Jack said. “Sorry about that. Are we even now?”

Willow gave a small smirk. “Sure thing Frost” she said. “Though I'll promise my own kind of ball if you do something like that again.” She emphasized her warning with a fist sized ball of fire.

“Fair point” Jack said.

“I'm glad you all came” Mother Nature said as she entered the area the seasonals had gathered. “I hope you've been doing well Jack.”

“Yeah, I gotta admit, sparring has been pretty fun” Jack said.

“Yeah, Jack has learned a few tricks on his own” Ray said. “He’s a quick learner like Willow.”

“I would like to see what you can do” Jack said to Willow.

“Maybe one of days” Willow said. “I like holding onto my aces until I need to play them.”

“I guess that makes sense” He said. He then tilted his head when he noticed something behind Willow. It was a quiver with a bow and arrow. “Can I try using that sometime?”

“Jack, Willow” Ray said. “I believe we all came here for another reason.”

“You’re right Ray” Mother Nature said. “Jack Frost, would you come forward please?”

Jack looked at Ray who mouthed “go on” to Jack. With that, Jack walked forward until he was a few feet from Mother Nature.

“Now Jack, although I would like you to join us, but this is your choice” Mother Nature said. “Do you want to become one of my seasonals?”

Jack, having decided before hand, easily answered “yes”.

“Then knell” Mother Nature said.

Jack knelt down on one knee with his head bowed down; just like Ray had showed him a few days ago. Mother Nature then used her powers to form a sword made of ice. She then used this sword to touch both of Jack's sshoulder.

“You are Jack Frost, the Seasonal of Winter.” Mother Nature said as Jack got to his feet.

Jack was beaming as he gave small bow.  
Ray walked over, gave Jack a pat on the back before saying “You don’t have to be formal all the time Jack”.

“Oh, right” Jack said a bit sheepishly.

Ray chuckled a bit along with Jack. Willow gave a small smile and nodded to Jack who nodded back. They were all dismissed as Ray and Jack went off to spread there seasons. Jack gave a woohoo as he rode the wind to spread his first winter as the Seasonal of Winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the most recent of my planed out chapters. I had the first and second part as individual chapters, but I felt each was too short, so they're now combined. Next week will be the next part. I'm open to ideas for this series, so if you have any, leave them in a comment on any of the story in this series. Until then, see you next time.


End file.
